


To Be a God

by TheHappyFan



Category: Death Note & Related Fandoms, Death Note (Anime & Manga), Shall We Date?: Obey Me!
Genre: Asmo is horny, Bending Canon Lore, Defiance, Failed Seduction, Gen, Kidnapping, Light can be a nasty little shit, M/M, Manipulation, Merging 2 Sets of Canon Lore, Mind Games, More tags to come when I think of them, Multi, No beta we die like lilith, Pact Marks, Plotting, Religious Imagery & Symbolism, Seduction, Slang, Solomon is shady, Symbolism, but also a huge softie too, but also helpful, cursing
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-10
Updated: 2020-08-18
Packaged: 2021-03-02 22:27:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 11,548
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24114262
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheHappyFan/pseuds/TheHappyFan
Summary: To be a god, one must be strong, virtuous, and intelligent. One must be powerful without overexerting control.One must also have magic. And the power of the Seven Deadly Sins on his side.Or in other words, what would happen if Light Yagami was the human chosen to partake in the Devildom Exchange Program at RAD?Buckle in, because this is gonna be a LONG ride.
Comments: 39
Kudos: 63





	1. A Voice

**Author's Note:**

> Alright, let's get this started!
> 
> So, I've been planning this fic for a few months now, and while there's a lot of details I still need to work out for it (especially for later chapters since we don't know what the future lessons of Obey Me! hold), I decided to go ahead and start writing at the very beginning.
> 
> I think we see in-game that the MC is a very resilient person, despite being somewhat of a blank slate. I thought about this and had an idea: "How would Light Yagami survive in the Devildom?"  
> Then I thought about this a lot, wrote theories for the game, and will probably incorporate them into this story, so... enjoy!

“ _ Please save me. I beg you. You must find me. _ ”

One cold, rainy Christmas in Tokyo, Light Yagami shot up in his bed in the dark of night, in the hours when only monsters and ugly insecurities awoke. For the last few nights, ever since the Spaceland bus-jacking incident, the same voice had said these very same words to him in his dreams.  _ Every. Single. Night. _ It was beginning to interfere with his sleep, his sanity, and his plans for his glorious new world. 

Something big was on the cusp of happening - he had known this since he got Raye Penbar’s name. But as the nights went on, he only continued to drive himself mad as he scrambled to figure out what it could be. His initial thought was that perhaps he had made a mistake handling Penbar, that there was some entity unaccounted for that could trace him back to the scene of the crime and implicate him. Yet, while this was a possibility he needed to account for before he could crush the agent’s heart, something in him whispered promises of something else - something beyond his wildest dreams. However, despite pouring every ounce of energy, imagination, and focus into this puzzle, he felt unsettled by the possibility of even more unknown factors coming into play in his life. To compensate for this fresh bout of uncertainty, he planned as many names in advance as he could - should anything happen to temporarily inconvenience him, criminals would continue to die for twenty-three days. Despite his precautions, however, he couldn’t feel safe as long as this sense of foreboding loomed over him.

Scanning his room, he noticed Ryuk curled like a cat on his bedroom floor, and then he saw it - a flash of something on his desk. Snapping to full attention, he slunk out of bed and tip-toed across the floor quietly so as to not wake his family. Approaching this foreign object, he noticed that it seemed to have a message written on it - in English, too. Upon picking it up, Light could see that it was a paper - not any ordinary paper, as he could practically feel the power radiating off of it, much like how he could feel the Death Note safely tucked away in the false bottom of his desk drawer. He quickly scanned over the paper, wary of its contents.

_ Congratulations! _

_ We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at the Royal Academy of Diavolo. _

_ We are looking forward to welcoming you as part of our new exchange program. _

‘Diavolo? As in, the Italian word for Devil?’ He supposed that must be the true name of the Shinigami King that Ryuk had briefly mentioned in passing. But why bother to send a letter to him instead of coming down himself? And what did he mean by exchange program? Were the Shinigami hoping to learn something from him? It was a reasonable assumption, he supposed, given how Ryuk had claimed that Light himself was a better shinigami than, well, most actual Shinigami.

As if on cue, a magic circle of some sort underneath his feet began to glow.

And thus Light Yagami’s world went dark.


	2. The Summoning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Light awakens in the Devildom. After an initial slip-up, he does his best to assess the situation as he meets the student council members and learns a little bit about what the upcoming year will bring for him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All right everyone, here is the next chapter! I hope you don't mind this one being a little bit longer- I have my chapters outlined, and this is how many words it took me to get through what I needed to for this one. Singular quotations represent what Light is thinking (at least in this chapter).

As Light came to, he knew that he was not anywhere on Earth. He awoke to a dark courtroom with seven banners bearing various creatures draped over seven thrones, with one extra throne elevated in the center of them all. Five creatures bearing the facades of fair men regarded him with varying gazes of curiosity, contempt, and amusement. Through the narrow slits of the windows of the wall, he could see the soft silver moonlight filter in from the giant body - much larger than it should appear on Earth, leading him to believe he was somewhere high in the sky. Surprised by how the room differed from Ryuk’s description of a “barren wasteland,” he was determined not to show the same kind of fear and weakness that he did when Ryuk first showed up. Tilting his head slightly back so as to bear his neck in a gesture of mocking vulnerability, he spoke, “This isn’t quite what I pictured the Shinigami Realm to look like.” The creature in the red coat in the center moved to speak.   
  


“Ahahaha! You mortals have the funniest sayings!” Light stifled his displeasure at this creature’s  _ audacity _ to pull him out of his own home against his will, only to mock him. As he settled down, he began in a more somber tone, “ No, Light. I am here to welcome you to the Devildom. Oh, pardon me. You must be feeling a bit shocked.” Light gently nodded as he waited for the creature to get on with his point. “Well, that’s understandable. You’ve only just arrived, after all. As a human, it will probably take a little while for you to adjust to things here in the Devildom. Ha! As if we would treat a human as awful as those lowly Shinigami!” The man dissolved into laughter again, while Light was left to reply to this.

‘ _ He didn’t know I was involved with Shinigami. I’m not sure how this is possible, but I fear I’ve already said too much _ .’ Snapping his head completely upright, he decided to use a diversion tactic. “What exactly  _ is _ the Devildom?” This was information that he needed to figure out, especially since it sounded like he might be stuck here for an extended period of time.

The creature, seeming amused, decided to tease the human. “Asking questions already, are we? I see that you catch on quickly. Excellent.”

‘ _ Of  _ **_course_ ** _ I catch on quickly, you prick,”  _ Light internally seethed. ‘ _ Why would you pick someone who doesn’t even have the sense to do that much?’ _

“I suppose I should start by introducing myself. My name is Diavolo.” Light’s breath hitched as he recalled the name from the mysterious letter he had touched.

‘ _ I suppose that means that he’s the one in charge of things around here _ .’

The creature’s, no,  _ Diavolo’s _ demeanor grew a bit chillier as he continued on with his monologue. “I am the ruler of all demons, and all here know of me. And someday soon, I will be crowned king of the Devildom.”

‘ _ So he’s the Prince, or whatever the equivalent is. Why is he so certain that day will come so soon? And why do I get the feeling that  _ **_I_ ** _ have some role to play in his crowning? Something feels off about him.’ _

“This is the Royal Academy of Diavolo… though we just call it RAD. You’re standing inside the assembly hall, the very heart of RAD. This is where we officers of the student council hold our meetings and conduct our business. I’m the president of said council.”

By this point, Light was more confused than anything else. ‘ _ Why do these demons have a school set up? And why do they have a crappy student government set up?’  _ One issue needed to be addressed above all else, however. “Why am I here?” he questioned.

“I will explain everything to you,” the voice of the eldest-looking creature - no,  _ demon _ \- boomed as he descended the steps to meet Light.

“Light, this is Lucifer. He is a demon and the Avatar of Pride,” Diavolo practically cooed. “He’s also the vice president of the student council and my right-hand man… and not just in title, I assure you. Beyond that, he’s also my most trusted friend.”

As Diavolo said this, Light sharply inhaled a shallow breath as he purposefully narrowed his eyes ever-so-slightly, gaze sweeping to assess Lucifer in greater detail. The menacing demon spoke up with eloquence and the slightest hint of exasperation. “Flattery will get you nowhere, Diavolo.” 

‘ _ So this  _ **_the_ ** _ Lucifer. The original fallen angel’  _ Light mused. _ ‘The demon that the world has compared me to ever since I became Kira. Someone who seems uncomfortable with Diavolo’s insipid praise, and is somehow stuck serving him anyways _ .’

Turning to Light, Lucifer’s voice began to boom again as a sadistic glimmer found its way into his eyes, “Speaking on behalf of the entire student body at this great and storied school of ours… I offer you a most heartfelt welcome, Light.”

‘ _ I’m impressed by this guy’s charisma and speaking ability,’  _ he admitted to himself. _ ‘If I were any other human, I would probably cower in his very presence. But I’m  _ **_not_ ** _ any other human - I’m the only one who can handle this! _ ’ Purposefully widening his eyes to appear more innocent, he filled his voice with the rich honey that only he was capable of; the kind that could drive nearly any creature in all the realms to worship him. “I appreciate your welcome very much. However, I would like an answer to my question: why am I here?”

“...Interesting. This one certainly isn’t afraid to ask for what he wants,” Lucifer rumbled mirthfully, more for his and Diavolo’s benefit than anyone else’s. Raising his voice to a proper volume to address the human so skillfully concealing the anger he could sense, he continued. “Diavolo believes that we demons should start strengthening our relationship with both the human world and the Celestial Realm. As a first step toward this goal, we’ve decided to institute an exchange program. We’ve sent two of our students to the human world and two to the Celestial Realm. And we’re welcoming four students to our school: two from your world and two from the Celestial Realm. So, I take it you’ve probably put two and two together at this point, right?”

‘ _ First of all, the Celestial Realm agreed to this? Second of all, demons in the human world? Third, does he truly believe I’m so stupid that it took me that long to figure it out? _ ’ Deciding to only tackle his own problem, the one that he could actually do anything about, his voice took on a slightly sharper edge as he asserted “ **I’ve been chosen for this program. I’m the new exchange student** .” A brief pause on Lucifer’s end. ‘ _ Good. Let him see that I won’t be intimidated so easily. _ ’

Lucifer’s mouth curled up on one side as he let out a small, amused huff. “Your period of stay is one year. You will have to work on assignments that you will receive in your classes from RAD. After one year, you will write a paper about your exchange here in the Devildom.” 

‘ _ Perhaps my classmates were right when they said that the concept of school came straight from Hell itself. Still, going to school here for a year could be interesting. Yes, it will put a hijink in my plan to find and eliminate L, and these demons are absolute bastards for daring to drag me down here like this, but I’m nothing if not adaptable. Besides, if I’m careful, I’m sure there’s something I can learn down here that can make my plans even better _ .’ “Alright,” he spoke in a careful lilt. “That sounds manageable.”

“Excellent,” Lucifer chuckled in glee. “I see you have no protests about this year. Don’t worry- it’s not like I will abandon you all by yourself here in the Devildom. You need someone to look after you, and I think that someone should be my brother Mammon.” He paused as he furrowed his brows. “He’s the Avatar of Greed and… how should I put it…? Oh well, you’ll understand soon enough,” he sighed.

‘ _ I really hope that wasn’t intended to be comforting. Surely they wouldn’t put someone incompetent in charge? _ ’ Light hoped.

Lucifer then handed the young god a sleek black machine before explaining, “Here, take this device. It’s called a D.D.D. It’s a lot like the cell phones of your world. This will be yours to use for as long as you’re here. Now, go ahead and try calling Mammon with it.” Deciding to ignore the ominous time marking on the device, Light unlocked the device, scrolled through his contacts, and dialed Mammon’s number.

_ Ring, ring _ . “Yooo,” an unrefined phantom drawled on the other end of the line. ‘ _ Why is such a high-ranking demon so unpolished? _ ’

“Hello.” A rather bland greeting, yes, but this “Mammon” wasn’t exactly giving Light a lot to work with.

“Huh? Who the hell are ya? You ain’t Lucifer,” the mystery demon bit out. ‘ _ No, I’m not, but I’m sure you know you’re supposed to be my guardian; there’s no way that you don’t at least have an idea of who I am _ .’

“I’m a human.” Cool, collected on the outside, while annoyance simmered on the inside. ‘ _ The one you’re supposed to guide through this new place _ .’

“Whaaa? A human?” ‘ _ Yes, you dolt _ .’ “Geez, I was gettin’ all chilly here thinkin’ it was Lucifer again. Ya should’ve told me right away.” ‘ _ Didn’t you just say that I’m  _ **_not_ ** _ Lucifer? _ ’ “So,” Light could practically  _ hear _ this infuriating demon’s shit-eating grin, “what business does a human got with THE Mammon?”   
  


‘ _ Other than you doing your fucking job? _ ’ “Let’s be friends.” ‘ _ Best to not make an enemy immediately if I can help it _ .’

“Eh…” The demon sounded incredibly confused. “What’re ya even sayin’...?” And then he reached a sudden revelation. “AAH! I get it now, you’re the other human - the new exchange student!” ‘ _ It really took him this long to figure it out?! _ ’ “G’luck with that, and see ya.” Glancing over at the demon who seemed to inspire fear within the imbecile he was currently speaking with, he decided to pull his trump card.

“Lucifer called for you,” he declared with a calculating expression on his face.

“Pfft, whatever,” the fool droned. “Ya think THE Mammon would listen to ya just ‘cause you’re tryin’ to scare me with that name?”

Within nanoseconds, Lucifer had managed to transport himself to Light’s side and project his voice at a volume that even Mammon could hear on the other end of the line. “You’ve got 10 seconds...9...8…”

“YESSIR!” the Greed demon yelped out as he hung up the call.

“Sounds like you had a nice chat,” the fallen angel smirked.

“He seems…” ‘ _ Like an absolutely useless moron _ .’ “reliable.” Only a slight tilt of his head to betray his true meaning.‘ _ More like reliably stupid, but I’d better not insult anyone until I have some allies of my own down here _ .’

“You really think so?” Lucifer looked quite annoyed, having expected something…  _ different _ ... from this particular human.

“Well,” Diavolo interjected wearing the face of a helpful, gentle lamb, “if you were suddenly brought to a strange place and then get told that an unfamiliar face will now take care of you, you’d certainly feel anxious.” ‘ _ Something tells me that Mammon won’t exactly be taking care of me _ .’ As if reading Light’s mind, the Prince then continued, “However, Mammon isn’t the only one to help you out. Now then… we still need to introduce our new friend to your brothers, Lucifer. And it’s probably better that you do that instead of me, wouldn’t you say?”

“Yes…” the demon in question sighed as a look of exhaustion flickered across his face for a brief moment. “As much as I  **dread** the idea of doing so, you’re right.”

“Oh, come now,” an androgynous figure slightly smaller than Light whined as he descended the steps with the other figures in tow. “ **Really?** You should be honored that you get to introduce such a  **sweet** and  **charming** little brother like me!” He sauntered up to Lucifer as he took a closer look at the new human.

“This one here is Asmodeus. He’s the fifth eldest,” the eldest demon introduced as briefly as possible. “He is the Avatar of Lust.”

“Wh.. I can’t believe you just totally ignored what I said!” the fair demon pouted.

_ ‘I would’ve expected the Avatar of Lust to have a voice that wasn’t so entirely nerve-grating _ .’ “And not only that, you referred to me as  **this one** . How rude!” ‘ _ He seems whiny, almost as if his sin were Envy. The only indication that his sin is Lust is that tasteless quick-release knot he has on his uniform _ .’

“Hmph,” the blonde, impeccably-dressed demon murmured. “At least he didn’t ignore you altogether. How do you think  **I** feel?”

“That one there is Satan, the fourth eldest of us,” Lucifer explained quickly. “At first glance, he may seem like a responsible demon with a good head on his shoulders, but looks can be deceiving.” 

“Aha, so  **I’m** that one, am I?” he hissed out. Turning to Light, he softened his tone and plastered on a smile. “Nice to meet you, Light. I am Satan, the Avatar of Wrath.”

Being a master of donning masks, Light could immediately notice the switch when Satan strapped his on. ‘ _ I’d better be careful with this one, but I think I can read him pretty well. He’s good at faking nice, I’ll give him that, but I have more practice with this sort of thing than any other human in the world _ .’ Dipping his head toward Satan in an outward display of respect, he replied, “It is very nice to meet you too, Satan. I look forward to getting to interact with you during this year.” Switching his gaze towards Asmodeus, he smiled, “It is a pleasure to meet you as well, Asmodeus.”

Asmodeus smirked, “Care to know me a little better? Let’s give you a little demonstration of my power! Light, could you gaze into my eyes for a moment?”

Quickly assessing the request, Light acquiesced. ‘ _ The others won’t want the exchange program to fail this early on, so if it’s something truly dangerous, then they’ll stop it before this power can cause any severe damage to me. Even if it’s not dangerous to me, I should still know what it is and learn more about it to protect myself _ .’

“It’s okay, I won’t hurt you. Come on, don’t be shy…” the lust demon cooed as Light met his eyes. “Yes, great! That’s perfect! Now, keep your eyes fixed on mine. Just like that…”

‘ _ I know how to look into someone’s eyes, you idiot _ .’

“...Wait a minute,” Asmodeus paused in shock. “There’s something about you...hmm…”

‘ _ His power doesn’t work on me! _ ’ he realized as he fought to keep the self-satisfactory smirk off his face.

“I should probably warn you, Light: you’d best be wary of Asmodeus’s gaze,” the black-haired demon interjected. “He can charm and manipulate people and use them to his own advantage.”

‘ _ So can any human who knows what they’re doing - he might have magic to back him up, but apparently it doesn’t work on me. Perhaps it has something to do with coming into contact with the Death Note? _ ’

“If you’re not careful, he’ll charm you. And once you’re under his spell,  **he’ll eat you** .” ‘ _ If he has to charm me to eat me, then I guess I’m safe from him. I still have to worry about the others, however _ .’

“Hey, don’t go around saying things like that… hmm… regardless, my power doesn’t seem to work this time for some reason. I wonder why.”

‘ _ I wonder too _ .’

Tired of Asmodeus going around in circles, Lucifer sighed loudly, “Are you done? Now, the one there with the very grumpy look on his face is Beelzebub. He’s the sixth oldest.”

“Lucifer, I’m hungry,” the ginger-haired demon grunted at the eldest.

“That’s too bad,” he dismissed. “Now behave yourself.”

“I’m Beelzebub, the Avatar of Gluttony,” the giant demon whimpered out.

‘ _ If his cardinal sin is Gluttony, then it’s no wonder he’s hungry _ .’ Suddenly remembering an important detail, he reached into the pocket of his pajama pants. See, as a result of having had a pet Shinigami for an entire month prior, Light had grown used to constantly having apples on-hand - yes, even in his sleep. Pulling out the Red Delicious and letting it gleam in the moonlight spilling across the room, the audacious human held it up to the gaze of the seasoned demon as if it were the fabled Forbidden Fruit of old. Softening his voice, he murmured “I have an extra apple with me.” Extending his arm, he cooed, “Would you like it?” with the barest hint of a smile on his face.

A questioning look flickered across Beelzebub’s face, before he lit up and gobbled the apple happily in one bite. Afterwards, he flashed a bright smile while uttering a quick thanks to the human. ‘ _ He kind of reminds me of Ryuk, minus the nasty face and questionable fashion taste _ .’

“So…”, interjected Lucifer after a brief lull, “there are seven of us brothers in all, and I am the eldest.”

‘ _ I figured both of those points out already; you’re the Seven Deadly Sins, and you’re the one who seems to corral the rest of your brothers _ .’

“Mammon, the second oldest of us, will be here soon.”

‘ **_That_ ** _ idiot. And he hates me. Perhaps I’ll be able to make a better impression if he can see my charm in person…? _ ’

“My other brothers aren’t here at the moment, but… well, we can get to them later. All in good time.” 

Finally, Diavolo began giving information in the conversation again. “During your stay in the Devildom, the seven brothers will watch over you. To keep you safe, you are to stay with them at the House of Lamentation.”

“And what,” Light asked in an innocent tone, “would you be keeping me safe from?” ‘ _ I already have an idea, but I’d like to hear you say it yourself _ .’

Lucifer, a little bit too gleefully, answered, “Most agree with Diavolo, but that doesn’t mean that there aren’t vulgar demons out there who wouldn’t harm you. If anything were to happen to you, it would be our responsibility.”

‘ _ Yes, that’s exactly what I thought _ .’

“And I won’t betray Diavolo’s expectations. So, I will do everything in my power to make sure you survive your stay down here in the Devildom. Although we will all be living together, you should still have the means to reach us at any given time. All of our phone numbers are already in there. And your D.D.D. also has a messaging app. Make sure to add all of us.”

Diavolo chirped out, “I’ll go ahead and send you a message!”   
  
Satan, voice dripping with plastic saccharine, cooed out, “Isn’t that nice, Light. Now you will be friends with the future king of the Devildom!” Light externally beamed in response, while he was truly mulling over how the term “friend” seemed like a stretch here.

Light went ahead and added the brothers in his messaging app, receiving inane, overly cutesy stickers and sending back the ones that he imagined were expected of him. At the end of the ordeal, Lucifer hurried everyone along, stating “Well, you’ve got that done now, and it seems the idiot has arrived as well.”

“HEY!” the greed demon screeched out as the doors were busted open and he ran up to the human in his charge. “Just  **who** do you think you are, human? You’ve got a lotta nerve summoning the  **Great Mammon** !” He paused as he began to throw a fit. “Listen up, because I’m only gonna say this once. If you value your life, then you’ll hand over all of your money now! And anything else of value, too!”

‘ _ Is this demon for real? Surely he’s not this stupid all of the time - there’s no way he could be as infamous as he is without a hidden clever streak _ .’

“Otherwise, I’ll wipe that stupid, happy-go-lucky look right off of your face… by eatin’ you! Startin’ at your head and working my way down, until-”

Lucifer cut his tirade off by growling, “Mammon, shut up or I’ll punch you!” and then, immediately proceeding to punch the second-born. Mammon immediately whined about Lucifer’s punch as Light fought the urge to massage his temples. Fortunately, Satan cut in as the closest resemblance to a “voice of reason.”

“Light, Mammon here is the Avatar of Greed. He governs and oversees all forms of it. Whenever he takes a liking to someone, they suddenly find themselves awash in money. But from what I hear, if he decides to break it off with someone, that wealth evaporates. They’re left without a Grimm to their name.” 

‘ _ Isn’t that what the Americans call a “sugar daddy”? _ ’

“And he’s also a masochist,” Asmodeus piped up. “That part’s important.” Filing that away for later, Light listened to Mammon’s protests to that statement, but he couldn’t bring himself to disagree with the information that Asmodeus had provided him. Listening to the brothers’ antics was exhausting him, and they weren’t coming to any new conclusions by bickering amongst themselves. Just as Light suspected, Lucifer intimidated Mammon into accepting his assigned duty for the moment.

Approaching him the demon whine, “All right  **human** , listen up. As much as I don’t want to look after you, I’ve got no choice. It’s a huge pain in the ass, and I’m too important for this kind of thing, but  **Lucifer** told me to do it, so I will. But in return, you better make sure you don’t cause me any trouble, got it?”

Well, causing “trouble,” could be a pretty flexible term, and Light was a master of bending all the rules to work in his favor. Deciding not to antagonize his guardian for the moment, he smirked, “All right, deal.”

Mammon seemed relieved as he huffed, “Good, that’s what I want to hear. As long as you do as I say, we won’t have any problems. Just be sure you don’t forget which one of us is the boss here.”

‘ _ I think you’re underestimating my ability to cause chaos, you greedy fool _ .’ Light was sure that Mammon would come to regret those words.

“Now Light,” Lucifer gestured to the human. “I believe we have covered everything, but to summarize: you will be an exchange student here at RAD for one year, and you must attend classes and complete your assignments and tests. And when your exchange period comes to an end, you are to submit a paper about your stay here in the Devildom. It’s as easy as pie, don’t you think?”

‘ _ It’s a little off-putting to hear THE Lucifer himself use crappy foreign slang, but I suppose I’ll get used to it _ .’ Light smiled up at Lucifer and tilted his head slightly to the left as he donned his trademark “angel smile” and extended his right hand to shake Lucifer’s. As the demon reciprocated the gesture, the young god proclaimed “I am looking forward to spending this year with all of you. Let us all make this a time which we may look back upon fondly.”

Everyone looked at Light as if he had grown seven extra heads. Mammon in particular was puzzled by Light’s positive exterior. Still, he relented, “I won’t stop ya from havin’ some fun.”

Diavolo gleefully whirled Light around for one final recap. “Light, from now on you will be living in the House of Lamentation. You’ll be staying there with Lucifer and his six younger brothers.” Then his demeanor darkened and  _ something _ , some sort of well-crafted mask, was briefly dropped. “Humans, angels, demons. I imagine a universe where each accepts the other. Where we are brought together as friends.” Then, his cheerful expression worked its way back onto his face again: but it was too late. Light had seen a glimpse beneath the cheerful facade, a peek at something more sinister than he had ever faced before. “This is my dream, and I’m asking you to be the foundation for it.” 

‘ _ Somehow I don’t think it would matter, even if I protested with every fiber of my being _ .’

“One year, that’s what I ask of you. Good luck, Light.” And with that, Light and the brothers proceeded to leave the student council room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I know a lot of this is still basic beginning material, but I want to really establish how Light's thought patterns are, especially at the beginning. Anyways, as always, please let me know what you thought of it, what you liked, what you think I could improve on, etc. Hope you enjoyed, and stay on the lookout for future chapters!
> 
> EDIT: I noticed a couple of minor issues and fixed them :D


	3. Arrival

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Light arrives at the House of Lamentation, and he begins making plans to entrap Mammon in a pact with Leviathan's help.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi there! Sorry this chapter took me so long - real life has been taking me for a serious ride the last couple of months. Still, I'm doing a lot better than I was a few months ago, and I hope everyone out there is doing well.
> 
> That being said, I fixed a couple of formatting things from the previous chapter and kept them in mind for this chapter. I hope this new format is easier on the eyes (I know it was on mine) and makes the story easier to follow.
> 
> Hope you guys enjoy!

Following a few paces behind Mammon, Light keenly observed his surroundings, taking note of individual trees in the shadowed forest and memorizing every step along the short traverse. He also had the misfortune of being forced to listen to the demon’s self-pitying rants as the stench of irresponsibility wafted back towards the arrogant human and threatened to squeeze his brain like a vice. Finally, the pair approached an imposing iron-wrought gate, and Light’s less-than-desirable guardian faced him for once, rather than subjecting him to his passive-aggressive lamentations. “Just so we’re clear…” he pouted out, “it’s not like I can’t say no to Lucifer, okay?!” ‘ _ Sure it isn’t. _ ’ “I only agreed to babysit you because, um…” Light fought to keep a questioning eyebrow from raising itself on his face. “Well you know, because… uh…”

‘ _ Because you had no choice. _ ’

Suddenly Mammon straightened up as he furrowed his brow and barked like a hungry mutt. “Anyway,  **it doesn’t matter** ! Just don’t go thinking that I’m scared of Lucifer anything! Because I’m  **not** !”

A deep breath. A gentle and placating tone with just the right undercurrent of authority. “I know that.” ‘ _ I know that you  _ **_are_ ** _ scared of him. I’m also smart enough to not anger you just yet. Judging by the shock on your face, this is the best thing I could have said. You’re used to having to be defensive, and now you’re thrown off even more than normal. _ ’

“...Oh.” Picking up his jaw, Mammon continued on as normally as he could. “Okay then, as long as we’ve got that straight.” A brief pause occurred as he tried to decipher the meaning behind the sadistic glint in the human’s eyes. “...Ugh, whatever. Let’s move on.” And so he led Light through the gate and through the dark courtyard to the entrance of the imposing mansion. As they stepped through the door, he called out, “This is the House of Lamentation. It’s one of the dorms here at RAD.”

Eyes scanning across the room, Light memorized the placements of the gargoyles and portraits, the model house, the marbling of the staircase, and as many of the facial features as he could of the faces on the walls. ‘ _ Apparently, the “dorms” down here are more akin to a moderately-sized palace. At least, that’s the case for these brothers, who are only ranked behind the Prince himself. _ ’ Light listened to Mammon’s rant about being called “scum,” ‘ _ a name all too kind for a being such as yourself _ ,’ and it only confirmed what Light had already seen to be true: he was frequently insulted, and as a result was rather insecure and defensive.

“Now, it’s time I show you to your room.”

‘ _ Ugh, finally some privacy. _ ’

“Now, I’m gonna give you a piece of advice, so listen up.”

‘ _ It’s about time you made yourself useful. _ ’

“If you wanna survive even a day here in the Devildom, you’d better listen REAL close to what I’m about to say.”

‘ _ Well then, say it already. _ ’

“If it ever looks like a demon is about to attack you…”

‘ _ Yes! This is the kind of information that I need! _ ’

“...run away. Either that, or die.”

‘ _ Excuse me? Just how dumb do you think I  _ **_am_ ** _?! Any dimwit with half a brain can figure that out! _ ’

Out of the corner of Light’s eye, he noticed a new figure slinking up to them - at first, he was difficult to see, as his hair was disgustingly similar to the color of the walls. He growled out, “How about this? I vote for YOU to die, Mammon.”

‘ _ This must be one of the two brothers I haven’t met yet. I can’t say I blame him for wanting this moron dead. _ ’

The greedy demon jumped and made a little yelp of surprise. A distressed look crossed his face as he began to pout, “...Uh, l-listen up, human! This here is Leviathan, the Avatar of Envy. He’s the third oldest of us brothers. Since his name’s sorta hard to say, you can just call him Levi! Okay then, let’s move on.”

‘ _ How is Leviathan considered that hard to say? It’s a reasonably standard Western name, and all of these demons are speaking in English _ .’

“Mammon,” the purple-haired demon growled, “give me back my money. Then go crawl in a hole and die.”

‘ _ Wow, this one really seems to despise Mammon. If he’s as insufferable towards his family as he’s been towards me, I can’t say I blame him - especially since they’ve likely been dealing with each other for many millennia now. At least this  _ **_Leviathan_ ** _ , while a bit broody and whiny, doesn’t seem to be paying me much attention. While this doesn’t automatically mean that he’s an ally, perhaps he’ll be more amicable to me than the others have been. _ ’

Predictably, the greed demon whined about needing a little bit more time and lamented his brother’s attitude towards him. With a slight edge to his voice that betrayed his irritation, he asked, “You need a  **little** more time? How much more?”

“A  **little** more, okay?!” Mammon barked. “A little more means a little more!” ‘ _ Why does he seem to think Mammon, the physical embodiment of  _ **_greed itself_ ** _ , would give him money, even if it is his own? _ ’

A sharp intake of breath. A gritting of teeth. Then, “You’ve been telling me that for the last 200 years, Mammon.” ‘ _ 200 years is quite a long time- perhaps not to these demons, but in 200 years I’ll be dead- NO! I’ll think about that later - right now I have to pay attention to the matter at hand. _ ’

A simple protest. “Hey, no! It hasn’t been 200 years! It’s been 260!”

‘ _ That’s even worse, you dimwit. _

“Get it right, Levi!”

A small sigh. “Unbelievable. Seriously Mammon, you’re-”   
  
“I’m what?” the elder demon growled. “ **Scum** ?” “Is that what you’re gonna say?”

A twitch in the face - Leviathan was obviously changing his selection of words so as to avoid playing into Mammon’s tactics. “- you’re a  **lowlife** and a  **waste of space** .”

‘ _ I don’t hear anything that’s incorrect. I just hope this quarrel doesn’t negatively affect me _ .”

“Hey!” he screeched. “Come on, that’s even worse!”

“Whatever…” An exasperated groan, followed by, “Just give me back my money.” He then proceeded to ramble about needing money for… well, it was some sort of trivial thing which Light could never hope to understand. A box Blu-Ray set? Not really his typical thing. Still, it was keeping the attention off of him for the moment and giving him a chance to observe the interaction of the two brothers, an opportunity for which he was immensely glad. Of course, Mammon claimed to not have the money his sibling was demanding.

A glare. “So then, you’re telling me you  **refuse** to pay me back?”

‘ _ Why would you ever lend money to this moron if you have any desire to have it back?” _

A pause, followed by a defensive crossing of the arms. “...What? You looking for a fight, is that it?”

‘ _ If I don’t do something to keep the tensions from escalating, then these creatures truly are going to fight - and I’ll end up being collateral damage. No, if I want to stop them, then I’m going to need to side with one of them - as much as I dislike making a solid enemy so soon into my year-long stay here, it is a necessary sacrifice if I am going to survive this day. Besides, if I play my cards right here, then I’ll be one step closer to securing an ally in this damned hellscape. Now, Mammon seems to be a rather disagreeable fellow, as well as a moron. He might end up feeling slighted no matter whose side I take. However, no matter how angry I make him, he seems to be directly under Lucifer’s orders - and is too scared to go against him. This means that he effectively can’t hurt me. Now, I don’t know much about Leviathan, meaning that I don’t know how he would react if I were to side with Mammon and ultimately anger him - I don’t know if he’s as scared of Lucifer as Mammon is. Also, he has yet to show me any ill will, so there’s the possibility that I could sway him to be on my side in time. He additionally recognizes Mammon to be scum, although it seems most of the demons here do. Regardless, it would be wise to side with him for now, and even use an insult that he did earlier to show that I was paying attention to him. _ ’

“So then,” Light pried at the elder demon, “you actually are a lowlife, Mammon?” He cast his face downwards and then tentatively glanced up through his lashes, so as to give him a veneer of innocence while simultaneously hiding the tiny smirk dancing up at the corners of his mouth as he waited for the fallout of his remark.

Predictably, Mammon was quite indignant. “Hey! Don’t call me a lowlife!” He then shifted back a step as an unprecedented, calculating expression crossed his face. “Listen, human. You remember my advice from before about what to do when demons attack? Well, you’re about to witness that for real. So…”

‘ _ You’re an absolutely moronic, imbecilic, useless  _ **_coward_ ** _. I know you’re about to run away - I can’t say I expected much better with you. Luckily, I don’t think Leviathan is going to attack me, as he seems to still have a reasonable hold over his anger, and I haven’t done anything to slight him. There’s always the possibility that he’ll decide to take his fury out on me, but by siding with him I think I’ve made the chances of that reasonably low for now. _ ’

Mammon then dashed away and out the door with a speed that Light had never seen from any living entity before, one that put any of Ryuk’s fastest flights to shame. “...time for you to die, because if it’s either you or me, it ain’t gonna be me!”

“Dammit, Mammon!” the third-born grumbled. “That ass… he ran off…!” Facing himself towards Light and striding up to the slightly smaller human, he began to whine. “Do you realize what just happened? Mammon used you as a distraction to get away from me… Or maybe I should say he used you as a  **sacrifice** .”

‘ _ Intimidating words, but I don’t think you’re going to attack me - you’re too subdued right now _ .’

“I’ll admit that Mammon is one of the scummiest scumbags you’ll ever meet… a total lowlife. But still, that was pretty dumb of you letting him use you like that.”

‘ _ I knew full well what he was doing, I just didn’t have the physical capability to stop him. Still, I’m not going to admit that outright unless I know I can work it to my advantage _ .’

With a sigh, he continued, “This is EXACTLY why humans are -” he trailed off, as an excited grin broke out onto his face. “...Wait a second.  **Humans** … yes, that’s it… Suddenly, I’ve got an idea. Listen, are you free right now? Of course you are. You’ve gotta be, right?”

‘ _ I really need to get my bearings, so no, but if I go along with him, it might help secure an alliance, which is something I desperately need if my assigned guardian is so easily willing to leave me to die. Besides, this idea is no doubt meant to manipulate Mammon, which might let me learn about his weakness and ultimately help me to force him to do his job _ .’

“Well,” Light began with his honeyed intonation, “I need to get my bearings around the house, but so long as I get around to it tonight, I have plenty of time to listen to your idea.”

“Good. Now **come with me** ,” Leviathan commanded as he turned around and began marching up the staircase and off to his room, leaving the human to trail in his wake. As Light caught up, his new D.D.D. began to buzz with a series of messages from the runaway demon himself, Mammon.

**Mammon:** Heya, I suddenly remembered I have some business I gotta take care of. So, if ya need something, just ask Levi.

**Mammon:** Oh and just to make sure… Don’t go around tellin’ stuff to Lucifer, ya got that?

‘ _ Insolent bastard! Shirking your responsibilities and expecting me to cover for you…”  _ Light seethed as he replied with a resounding “NO.” _ ‘Still, if I show this to Leviathan, he might be willing to help me out, and he seems to understand what a useless fool his own brother is. Besides, he’s still the best chance I have so far at securing a proper guide in this place, so any chance to spend time together could help to solidify a bond between us. _ ’ Letting out a soft, contrived sigh, the young god tilted his screen at the demon, murmuring, “I can’t believe him…”

Just as Light had planned, Leviathan took a curious glance over his shoulder at the human’s D.D.D. screen and scanned over the exchange, puffing air past his lips at the sheer ridiculousness of the entire situation. “I guess you’re gonna need help getting around here at first, right?” He waited for a brief nod and verbal confirmation and then continued, “I won’t be there to show you around RAD since my own classes are mostly online, but I’ll at least show you HOL once we’ve finished our strat meeting.”

‘ _ HOL? I suppose that must be short for House of Lamentation. Also, “strat meeting?” He really couldn’t take the extra time to add two extra syllables so the sentence doesn’t sound like nonsense? _ ’ Of course, while Light’s thoughts frequently consisted of insults and demeaning remarks such as these towards others, he typically chose not to voice them, rather choosing to keep them on his side to maintain his appearance. “That would be wonderful,” he affirmed. “I’m quite excited to hear about the idea you have in store.” Right as he finished saying this, the pair reached the end of their trek to Leviathan’s bedroom door.

Glancing around furtively, Leviathan turned his head a couple of times before pressing his door open, ushering Light inside with him, and slamming the door shut. Curiously, Light regarded Leviathan, wondering what the third-born could possibly be so afraid of lurking in the hallways. ‘ _ I’d better find out so that I know what to look out for while I’m here _ .’ Almost tentatively he asked, “What were you checking for in the hallways?”

“You want to know why I looked around to see if anyone was watching before I closed the door?”

‘ _ Not exactly, but if that answers my actual question then I supposed that’s close enough _ .’ “Why do you THINK I did it? Isn’t it obvious?! Imagine what would happen if someone saw me inviting  **you** into my room! A  **human** who doesn’t even look like  **an otaku** , but  **a normie** ! You know what people would say, right?!”

‘ _ THAT’S the reason?!’  _ Light was expecting to hear about some dastardly beast that lurked the hallways of this mansion; he was most certainly not expecting to hear something so … trivial. ‘ _ If the Devildom is anything like Japan, then I would be the one to be judged for going into a room with you in the first place! Then again, I don’t know how otakus are viewed here compared to how they’re viewed back home. Still, otakus are really strange, selective, and exclusive if Sayu’s experiences are anything to go by. I need to be careful to minimize the amount I offend him; I’m not sure I can completely avoid it, however.’  _ Concealing his inner thoughts with a warm, almost-subtle smile, he exclaimed, “That’s really cool that you’re an otaku!” Immediately after this declaration, he began scanning the room with Leviathan’s books and posters, searching for anything that he was familiar with; something that he could use to establish common ground.

Leviathan immediately went on the defensive, believing Light was making fun of him, but trailed off as he noticed the human’s vision zeroing in on the novels that composed his favorite series of all time. “It looks like you’re looking at…  _ The Tale of the Seven Lords _ . Are you a fan of that, too?” he questioned as an excited look crept onto his face.

‘ _ Finally! This is my opening to talk to him more! _ ’ “Yes, I’m quite a fan of it myself.” Opening his mouth to continue and show off his knowledge, the otaku cut him off, believing that the human was lying in an attempt to suck up to him.

“Hmph, is that so…” he questioned. “Okay then, can you tell me what the first lord is known as in the story?”

Smirking, Light’s confidence was bolstered at such an easy question. “The Lord of Corruption, obviously - you only need to read a couple of pages to find that out.” ‘ _ And only of the first volume! _ ’ When Light was younger, he stumbled across the series after having to read a passage of it for his English class - unlike so many of the books he read in that lecture, this was one he had thoroughly enjoyed. In fact, he enjoyed it so much that he bought them all and read them within the span of a week - at least, the volumes that had been released back then. While Light often struggled to genuinely connect with other beings, be they live or fictional, this was one series in which each character captured his attention. Everything about it, from Henry’s sense of justice to the Lords’ intricate personalities and that adventures that arose enraptured the young god from an early age and shaped the way he saw the world.

“You actually do know them!” Leviathan’s face lit up at the idea of being able to discuss his passions with someone who actually knew what he was talking about. “The lords are all so interesting in their own peculiar way. It seems like everyone likes him the best. Everyone always talks about how great he is. But not me. I like the Lord of Shadows way more.”

Curious to see if this conversation could lead anywhere substantial, Light offered his own opinion. “Henry is my personal favorite, but the friendship between him and the Lord of Shadows is amazing.”

“I like Henry too!” the demon exclaimed. “He’s almost as great as the third lord. He’s totally not like the second lord. The second lord is **scum**.” The pair continued to chat about the trivialities of the series, but Light kept rolling the “scum” statement around in the back of his mind. A realization sparked; a connection that he would have to explore in greater detail later, when he was alone. Eventually, Levi revealed how jealous he was of the human world for its many amenities, but Light quickly appeased him with an invitation to the human world once the exchange program ended. Finally, the bluenette got around to his original purpose for bringing the human to his room. “Anyway, I didn’t bring you here to tell you about TSL. I don’t think there’s any harm in just saying what you already know is true: Mammon is a complete and utter scumbag,” he growled. “It’s very important that you understand this. So I’ll say it one more time. Mammon is a **hopeless** , **worthless** **scumbag**.”

‘ _ I’m already very well aware of this, _ ’ he thought as he nodded his head in acknowledgement. ‘ _ Still, a common “enemy”, especially one that can’t actually do anything to me, may well be a good way to bring us together. _ ’

He sighed, continuing, “I lent that scumbag money, and now I want him to pay me back. But being the scumbag that he is, he won’t do it. I wish I could force him to, but despite what a rotten waste of space he is, Mammon’s still the second oldest. As the third oldest, no matter how hard I try, I don’t stand a chance against him.

‘ _ So their order of birth is indeed their power ranking as well. He’s the third-born, so that would mean that he’s not as powerful as Lucifer or Mammon, but he’s still incredibly strong - even more so than any of the other brothers. Indeed, despite a few off-putting factors, he still will make for an incredibly powerful ally _ .’ “So, how did you two become enemies in the first place?” he inquired. ‘ _ I’m no fool, but I’d better be sure I don’t do something to make him my own enemy. _ ’

A sigh. “Well, it’s a long story, but sure.” A tiny grin weaved itself onto the demon’s face. “I’ll tell you, human.” He took a dramatic pause before launching into a tirade about the wonders of convenience-store Seraphina and how she was mistreated in the disgusting room of a greedy, naked Mammon who could apparently run approximately as fast as Lucifer. And then, Leviathan paused as a wicked gleam appeared in his eye. “But if, say, a  **human** made a  **pact** with Mammon, and bound him to their service… then he’d have to do whatever that human told him to. Which means that if you make a pact with Mammon and then ordered him to give me back my money…”

‘ _ He wouldn’t have any choice but to do it.’ _

“...he wouldn’t have any choice but to do it.”

‘ _ If he means what I think he does, then that means I’m going to have to trade my soul! I was willing to do that for the Death Note if I had to, but that was for a noble cause. Still, if I want to survive this year, I may end up having to go through with it. I wonder what it will do to my soul - I have a hunch that becoming a Shinigami after my death is the consequence for using the note, but that sounds like it could be a miserable existence since I’ll probably die quickly if I try to kill criminals. The pact may not override using the Note, but even if it does, it might not be the worst thing for me. Still, before I do anything, I’d better find out exactly what this  _ **_pact_ ** _ entails. _ ’ “I’ve heard of pacts in books and movies before, but I imagine that human media gets quite a bit wrong. What exactly is a pact, and how does it work?”

Levi chuckled, “You’re right that there are inaccuracies in movies and such, but they get the main idea. The demon lends his strength to a human to make their wish come true in exchange for their soul.”

‘ _ I knew it! I knew a soul-trade was involved. This whole process is a mighty gamble. I need to find out what happens to a soul that enters a pact. _ ’ Just obviously forced enough to emphasize Light’s discomfort, he laughed, “I don’t want to give up my soul!”

Grinning at the human, the demon giggled, “That isn’t always necessary. It depends on what’s in the pact. But, well, you need to give SOMETHING to the demon to make it worth the exchange, so it’s pretty much inevitable. If you don’t want to give up your soul, then I’ll tell you how you can negotiate with Mammon.” He broadened his grin as he observed Light shifting in obvious interest. “Also, I’m sure it would be useful having him as your servant. I mean, despite how awful he is, he’s still a powerful demon. But I bet you feel worried, being dragged down here to the Devildom and all. So, I don’t think it would end up being a bad deal for you, either. Don’t you agree?” he asked as he stared directly into the amber eyes of the human.

‘ _ So I don’t need to give up my soul after all - and I can force Mammon to do his job as my guide and protector. But I need to tread carefully; Leviathan is far more clever and manipulative than I initially gave him credit for. _ ’ “That sounds like it could very well work out for both of us. How would you propose I go about doing that?”

“I take it this means you think this plan of mine could work, right?” He received a slow, calculated nod of affirmation. “ **Excellent** . You may be a human, but still… you show some promise!”

‘ _ Of course I do _ ,’ Light bristled. ‘ _ Why  _ **_else_ ** _ would I be chosen to come down here? _ ’

“Regardless,” his tone cooled down, “if I’m being honest, I don’t really care what  **you** think. What’s important is that  **I** have a plan, and I’m going to explain it to you now. So, shut up and listen.”

‘ _ I’m not even talking, so it’s impossible for me to “shut up.” This conversation seemed like it was actually going well until he started acting superior again. I really need this plan to be good, otherwise I have to make my own plans based on the limited information I currently have _ .’

Ignoring Light’s internal plight, he barreled on, “If you just walk up to Mammon and ask him to make a pact with you, he’ll never agree. No, you need some leverage… a  **bargaining chip** .”

‘ _ That’s obvious to anyone who’s ever engaged in any type of negotiations before. However, I suppose it’s a good thing that he at least understands that _ .’

“You’re going to offer him something in return… Something he wants so badly that he’d do ANYTHING to get it.”

‘ _ I wonder what this mysterious something is - and how Leviathan has it in the first place. _ ’

“Lucifer has something that Mammon wants, something he’d kill to get. I’m referring to Mammon’s credit card, which Lucifer took away from him.”

‘ _ Mammon, as the Avatar of Greed, probably has access to numerous credit cards _ .’ “Why does this one mean so much to him?”

Sighing, Levi answered, “Well, you’ve got no idea just how much he depends on that thing. Let’s see, what did he used to call it again? ‘My one true love’? It was something like that. It was like he thought it was a lover. He probably named it. I bet he even slept with it. Gross.”

Light realized what happened - why Lucifer took it away. “I bet he used it constantly.”

“Yep,” he shook his head in disgust. “Never stopped. Eventually, Lucifer had had enough of his behavior, so he confiscated it. There’s nothing Mammon wouldn’t do if it meant getting his credit card back, I’m sure of it.”

‘ _ But neither of us are in possession of the card - Lucifer is. That means he expects ME to somehow find out the location _ .’

“So, listen up,” he continued casually. “I want you to talk to Lucifer and find out where he’s hidden it. Of course, he can’t suspect anything. You’ve got to be subtle, like it happened to come up naturally. Make sure you do a good job, or else!”

_ ‘I may be a skilled liar, but I’m not  _ **_so_ ** _ arrogant that I imagine it’s going to be easy. Still, I have to do this - nobody else could dare to! _ ’ Flashing his signature smile that could fool the world, he stated, “I have a couple of ideas, so I’ll wait until I have a good opportunity to talk to him soon. I’m sure that it will approach fairly soon, as Lucifer seems to more or less be doing the legwork on this exchange program.”

Leviathan nodded before he suddenly perked up again for a question. “Do you still want that tour?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And with that, we come to our first real difference from OM canon; Light, who is the MC, has already become a huge TSL fan over time. Personally, I headcanon that Light had some pretty nerdy interests in the human realm, and this complex series would be right up his alley. Also, a lot of the plot of TSL is still very vague in the game, so I'm planning on inventing my own TSL lore and using it to explain some of my own personal headcanons about Light. :D
> 
> Anyways, I know I'm mostly following the game's laid-out plot right now, but the next chapter will be a bit of a change of pace as it will show Light attempting to make sense of the situation once he is alone. Thanks for reading, and as always, please let me know what you thought of it, what you liked, what you think I could improve on, etc. Stay tuned for the next update!


	4. Not the New World That I Imagined

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Light's inner musings as he adjusts to this unprecedented situation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this chap is quite a bit shorter than what you've been used to- the purpose is to just be a small breather for Light as he tries to make sense of his new surroundings.
> 
> Also: thank you to the beautiful EmpressAltair (or on tumblr, [https://vicardi-the-fool.tumblr.com/](vicardi-the-fool)) for being my beta-reader on this chapter!

Within an hour of the tour’s beginning, Light had finally been shown to his room as the otaku left him there and dashed back to his hideout to… well, Light couldn’t tell what the demon had said he was going to do. Making sure the door was firmly shut behind him, Light took in his new surroundings as he finally began to unravel the events of the past few hours ‘ _ So, the Demon Prince, rather,  _ **_Diavolo_ ** _ , has chosen me to be a participant in his exchange program, because for some inane reason all of these millennia-old demons have to attend the academy. _ ’ Trying not to let his brain get too caught up in the logistics of  _ why _ there was a school down there, or how long these demons had even been going to school, he tried to evaluate the situation that he had been thrust into. ‘ _ Diavolo seemed to be confused when I mentioned the Shinigami Realm, but… I don’t have a way to know for sure. At first, I feared I had said too much, but as I think about it more, I have a hard time believing that he’s truly oblivious about what I am. _ ’ Light walked over to examine the contents of the masterfully-carved, shiny wooden dresser. ‘ _ He’s clearly up to something - I don’t think this exchange program is anywhere near as innocuous as he would lead me to believe _ .’ He opened the enormous piece of furniture, only to note with a grim sense of apprehensiveness that each piece of his wardrobe had been replicated to ease the vacancy of the dresser. ‘ _ Just how much information do they have on me? _ ’

Attempting to disregard any potential reasoning as to why a full dining table would be set in his room, he instead opted to walk over to his desk and pick up the stack of papers and materials sitting on top, which upon further inspection included notebooks, textbooks, his class schedule, and maps of the House of Lamentation and RAD itself. A cursory glance around the room told him that there were no other pressing matters that needed to be attended to, so he sauntered over to the rosy-hued, feminine, plush Western-style bed. ‘ _ Clearly, there was no accounting for personal taste when picking the decorations for this room _ ,’ Light noted with a grimace as he judged the bed and the abundance of fauna nestled in the walls, seemingly something out of a cheap, trashy fantasy novel. Settling himself on the center of what was to be his place of rest, gently so as not to disturb the satin covers yet, he began to look at his papers in greater detail as he pondered the changes that were taking place.

‘ _ I said that I was going to be the God of the New World, but this is certainly not the New World that I imagined _ .’ Light glanced over his RAD class schedule, committing each class name, time, and room number to memory as he noted with surprise the similarities between many of the Devildom classes and his courses back home. ‘Some of these classes will be a challenge to catch up in; I have little knowledge of demonology, I’ve never prepared a potion before, and I have no inherent magical talent of my own when it comes to casting hexes… But  **I** was the human chosen for this program… I’m capable of handling whatever obstacles I must overcome to come back to Earth and shape an even better New World!’ He set aside his papers for a moment as he considered something. ‘ _ I wonder who the other exchange students are. Lucifer said that there are four of us in total: I suppose the two from the Celestial Realm are angels or some other equivalent, but I wonder who the other human is, as well as why he or she isn’t also rooming with these seven demons. _ ’ 

A terrifying thought seized Light as he finally allowed the horror to crawl up from the recesses of his mind. ‘I was so wrong… so uninformed about so many things.’ He recalled how Ryuk said those chilling words, only mere weeks ago: “ _ Be warned: any human who’s used a Death Note can neither go to heaven nor hell for eternity… that’s all. Now, you have something to look forward to after you die. _ ” While unsettling, Light had been able to dismiss the Shinigami’s omen without an ounce of dread for a simple reason:  Ryuk himself had said that humans went to Mu, a place of utter nothingness.  Light, along with the gangly death God, believed that the average human simply disappeared once they were dead. ‘ _ Of course, I knew that my fate would be different because I picked up the Death Note; Ryuk himself told me that much. But it appears… _ ’ he shuddered. ‘ _...there is so much more than I know. I’ve never believed before in the Christian ideas of “Heaven” and “Hell”... but while there are some obvious inaccuracies in popular belief, there is some truth to the world’s most-followed religion. Which means… I’m going to suffer horrible consequences for my work to save the world as Kira. I thought that I could be a god because... _ ’ he shivered. ‘ _...because I thought the power I had made me a god, at least in the sense that I thought about it. I’ve never been enough of a fool to believe that I’m omniscient or omnipotent… I just never thought that the God described by Western societies could truly be real. _ ’

Still, never one to give in to despair, Light began considering other factors as he began to scan the maps laid out before him. ‘ _ Still… the divide between the Realms obviously can be bridged. Everything I’ve read about Christianity suggests that demons are pure evil, while angels represent pure good. And… I’m not sure quite what it is about Diavolo, but something about him feels so sinister… and I feel as if I’m to play some nasty role in whatever is going on here. However, in order for this exchange program to be taking place, somebody in the Celestial Realm has to have approved of this idea; especially if they are sending two of their own. Therefore, someone up there is likely able to see some hidden benevolence to these demons that I have been able to thus far. While that doesn’t mean that my situation isn’t dangerous, it means that it is indeed possible to make it through this. _ ’ A smile wormed its way onto his face as he realized an advantage to his spontaneous kidnapping. ‘ _ Down here… I need to be careful of some demons that might want to harm me, but… for now, I’m ultimately under the diplomatic protection of the highest-ranked demon around - there is nobody who will try to execute me on a public stage. _ ’

Taking a deep breath, he frowned as he continued to ponder the implications of his absence, committing each turn, hallway, room, and corner of the maps to his impeccable memory. ‘ _ All of my Kira activity is going to stop for an entire year… and I can’t simply return to it immediately upon my arrival back to my house, or else it will become obvious to even a simple fool that I am Kira. Unfortunately, this means that criminals will be able to run rampant for a while longer… _ ’ His scowl suddenly flipped. ‘ _...but, thanks to whatever new knowledge I acquire during this upcoming year, it’s possible that I’ll be able to build an even better new world! And… _ ’ His face softened as he let the selfish side of his desires wash over him. ‘ _ Maybe I can have some fun along the way. Finally, down here, I’ll be free of the expectations set for me by my family and society. I still expect myself to adhere to higher standards than the masses, but… even if demons aren’t purely evil, they’re still  _ **_demons_ ** _ ; I doubt they’ll expect me to be the perfect, virtuous paragon of integrity like everyone else has my whole life. Maybe for just a little bit, I can have fun and drop the mask, even if only briefly. _ ’ He sighed as he thought of his own family, sending a silent prayer to whatever entity would listen. ‘ _ Please don’t let my parents make things harder on Sayu because of my absence. _ ’

Having fortified himself to take the plunge ahead, Light began to plot his strategy. ‘ _ I need to talk to Lucifer about finding the location of this credit card, but I need to not let him suspect me - and I can’t outright lie to him; not if there’s a possibility that he’ll see right through me. _ ’ Suddenly, it hit him - the perfect angle from which to approach his line of questioning, a wicked grin spreading across the teen’s face. ‘ _ I hope you’re ready, Mammon - if you’re not going to do your job properly, then I’m going to  _ **_make_ ** _ you. _ ’ Satisfied with his solution, Light gathered up his papers and began to prepare for a good night’s sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed! As always, please tell me what you thought, if you liked it, if there's anything I can improve on, etc. That said, I hope you lovelies have a wonderful day, and feel free to reach out to me on my own tumblr: [https://www.tumblr.com/blog/marianaredwixi](marianaredwixi)


	5. What Happens When You Lose Your Trophy Son?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Back in the Human Realm, Light's family notices his disappearance.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is just a short blip to show how Light's family reacts to his disappearance, as well as setting the stage for some other things to come later. ;) Thank you once again to the lovely EmpressAltair for being my beta-reader once again :D

As the dawn broke in the Land of the Rising Sun, children began to stir excitedly. Christmas had finally arrived, signaling the start of a period of fun, love, games, and rest from studying. In the Yagami household, sweet little Sayu awoke and crept to her dear older brother’s room, expecting to surprise him from his slumber. She turned the handle and softly pushed it open, ignoring the flutter of paper to the floor. Tiptoeing in, she gently slammed it shut, dashing across to the bed… only to find the cover crumpled on one side, no Light in sight. ‘ _ How strange _ ,’ she thought. ‘ _ I’ve never seen his bed unmade except for when he’s in it… _ ’ Thinking over the uncharacteristic mess he had left, the young girl noticed a glint from the desk across the room. She drifted closer to inspect it, noting that it seemed to be a piece of paper. Picking up the very paper that had changed her brother’s fate mere hours ago, her breath escaped her as her eyes scanned over the message… and then the paper was  _ gone _ . A shrill scream echoed across the room, making the girl jump before realizing… that sound was coming from  _ her _ .

How much time had passed, Sayu would never be able to tell, as her body was frozen before her father burst through the door. Drowning in shock, she could just barely make out her father’s inquiries as to what was happening, muttering her brother’s name over and over in despair as tears rolled down her cheeks. Soichiro scanned over the room before pulling an arm over his daughter and escorting her back to her room and telling her to stay, leaving her to curl up in a ball and sob silently.

-

Soichiro Yagami could hardly believe himself.

First, he had thought that perhaps Light had run away, had finally entered that rebellious stage that most teenagers do. But then, as he searched the room, he realized that the teen had left his cell phone and wallet… meaning that something more sinister had occurred. Even if Light did decide to leave, he was too smart to do so without any means of making his own way through the world. By all appearances, it seemed that Light may have been kidnapped. After all, as the police chief, he had made many enemies… the most recent of which was Kira, the mass-murdering entity nearby that apparently had a local police connection. And now… he  _ had _ to catch that brute… and he had left a message for the mysterious Watari in the hopes that L could do something,  _ anything _ , to stop this horror.

Second, his wife had been concerned… but for  _ all _ the wrong reasons. ‘ _ No, Sachiko, I don’t care about the results of that exam if he isn’t safe,  _ **_alive_ ** _ , to see them! _ ’ ‘ _...Did Sachiko even know anything about their son except for his grades and career aspirations? ...As a matter of fact… did I? _ ’ Spending such a large amount of his time at the precinct, the police chief often sacrificed time with his family to fully commit himself to his work, engaging in baser niceties when he was able to make it home in time for the evening meal. To enact justice, to create a better world,  _ a world in which his children were _ , he had lost the opportunity to truly know them.

Worst of all… he didn’t even know how to comfort his own daughter, broken and sobbing over the loss of her dear older brother. And so, Soichiro took one last glance at his children’s rooms before doing what he did best: he traveled back to the station, ready to report Light missing, and start an investigation to find the boy.

-

Sayu Yagami, despite coming off as ditzy, was no fool. She had known for quite a while that something was off with Light, that he was up to something dangerous. After all, he wasn’t exactly quiet with all those maniacal laughing sessions. And based on the timing of his behavioral change, she knew deep down that it had something to do with Kira. But denial was a powerful force indeed, and she had been smothered in it up until that very morning, refusing to believe that her precious brother could be involved in such a scheme. But she knew what she had seen, what nobody would, or  _ could _ , believe. That letter had just… disappeared. But whoever that  _ Diavolo _ was, he sounded terrifying. If only she could just look in Light’s desk… some clue, some key to his disappearance was hidden in there. She knew it - she could  _ feel _ it. But she couldn’t go in there yet - not knowing that it was likely to be investigated as an active crime scene… and maybe her Father’s friends could help bring Light back safely. For now, all she could do was weep and pray to the gods above for him.

Little did she know that someone up there was laughing at the irony of it all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Annnnnnnnd I hope you enjoyed! Please let me know what you liked, what you didn't, what I can improve on, etc. Stay tuned, because next time we get to see our scheming little Light in action again! Hope you all have a fantastic day :D

**Author's Note:**

> This is just essentially a little "teaser trailer" of what is to come, but I hope you all stick around for the ride! And please don't be shy about leaving feedback or interacting with me over on Tumblr, I love meeting you all and hearing what you like/think I could improve on my writing! 
> 
> Tumblr: [MarianaRedWixi](https://marianaredwixi.tumblr.com/)


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